The Pain We All Feel
by RaibenaRaita
Summary: Erik, Sorano, Richard, Sawyer, and Macbeth had hard lives. From the Tower of Heaven Orphanage to their psychotic adoptive father with a split personality. Now that the city has caught them, they have been given a counselor/caregiver who will help them get integrated back into society. They are not pleased to find out that it was their former tormentor, Jellal Fernandes. Dark Themes
1. Blurb

Erik, Sorano, Richard, Sawyer, and Macbeth have had hard lives. From their time in the Tower of Heaven Orphanage to their lives as a gang with their psychotic adoptive father with a split personality as their ring leader. Now that the city has caught them (specifically the Fairy Tail police station) and has decided that they were only criminals because of their father, the five have been given a counselor/caregiver who will help them get integrated back into society. They are not pleased to find out that it was their former tormentor, Jellal Fernandes. How will they cope with their past and learn to let go? How does the quintet react to Jellal's side of the story? What are their reactions to Jellal's equally messed up friends? Dark themes.


	2. Chapter 1

**I don't own Fairy Tail. It belongs to Hiro Mashima and that's a good thing because I wouldn't be able to come up with such an amazing plot like he does.**

* * *

Erik sat slumped in one of the chairs in the lounge of the strange place surrounded by his four pseudo siblings. Macbeth was laid out onto the couch, Sorano sat up straight and alert in a chair next to Erik's as was Richard, and Sawyer stood pacing. Sorano piped up, "Why are we here? We were caught weren't we? Shouldn't we be in the slammer?"

Macbeth, who was too suspicious of the situation to go to sleep, said, "I don't know, but I have a feeling that we would rather go to prison than deal with what's going on." He shifted to sit up on the couch.

As soon as Macbeth uttered those words, the door opened. "Well, you don't get the choice between this and prison." The quintet whipped their heads in the direction of the voice. It was Officer Makarov Dreyar, the person who ran the Fairy Tail police station and the person who was in charge of the team that caught him. Makarov walked in, shutting the door behind him, and sat in an empty chair. He continued, "So I assume you were not told what has been going down, right?" They all shook their heads. "Well, the city has decided that they believe you when you say that you only did everything because your father—"

Erik interrupted him with a vicious glare and coldly said, "We don't call him our father. Never have. He was always Brain or Zero to us."

Makarov nodded slightly and continued, "Right. Anyway, they believe you when you say that you only did everything because of Brain. They also think that you've grown too accustomed to your way of life and need a caregiver or counselor to help you get back on track with society. Even though you are all legal adults, you will be under this person's care."

Macbeth and Erik exchanged glances. That wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. Makarov continued his spiel, "We have a volunteer caregiver here. He actually sort of went through the same process, and now he likes to come and help other people. Come on in."

The door opened once again. Macbeth and Erik silently cursed under their breath, Sorano's breath hitched, and Sawyer's and Richard's eyes went wide as they saw the bluenette with the red tattoo under his left eye. "Guys, this is Jellal Fernandes and he will be your caregiver."

"No!" Macbeth jumped up and yelled, surprising not only Makarov but his pseudo siblings as well. He was normally the quiet one (not the shy type quiet person, more like the talk-to-me-and-your-dead kind of quiet person). "I refuse to go with this this abusive, sadistic bastard!"

Makarov's eyes hardened and spoke in a tone that told them not to argue, "Macbeth, like I said you have no other options here. Believe me when I say that this is what's best for all of you." Macbeth sunk back into his seat while grinding his teeth in annoyance and Makarov's eyes and voice softened again. "Okay, the deal is two years under Jellal's care. If you cause trouble, more time gets added, and you are in good behavior, time gets taken away. Now Jellal is also the legal guardian of a teenager who you will also live with. I hope this works out well for all of you." Erik and Macbeth scoffed, while Sorano rolled her eyes and Richard and Sawyer stayed silent. "Stay here while Jellal and I fill out some paperwork."

Makarov and Jellal left the lounge and Makarov sighed as soon as they got out. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked.

Jellal nodded, "I must atone for what I had done to them, to all the children in the Tower of Heaven Orphanage. This is the best way."

Makarov sighed and replied, "I've given up on telling you that what happened at the orphanage was not your fault. You haven't forgiven yourself even though Milliana, Shô, Simon, Kagura and Wally forgave you. Only Lucy and Erza can get that through your thick skull, and even then that only lasts for a few days. I hope they don't hurt you too bad in this process. Just remember, any signs of trouble and you call for Lucy, Laxus, Erza, or me. Actually, call Lucy every day. Just as status reports."

Jellal smiled at the worry of his pseudo grandfather. "Don't worry Gramps. I'll be okay. If it makes you happy, I will call Lucy every day and for good measure I'll talk to Erza too." Deep down, though Jellal would not admit it, he knew he would need these calls.

What the duo did not know was that the master of espionage Erik was listening to their entire conversation. _What did Dreyar mean when he said it wasn't Jellal's fault? Of course it was his fault,_ thought Erik, _He was our tormentor all throughout our childhood, and we will never forget that_.

After Jellal and Makarov actually finished the paperwork, they went back to the lounge room and they all got ready and followed Jellal out quietly because they knew it was their only choice. The car ride, provided by Makarov, was silent and uncomfortable, for Jellal at least. He knew all they were all thinking was how much they hated him for the days back in the orphanage. Jellal could feel their glares on the back of his seat. He knew he should wait until they reached his house before starting a conversation.

* * *

Once they reached the house and the quintet got comfortable on the couch in the living room, Jellal cleared his throat and started, "So…um, this is where you guys will be staying for the next two years. We already went through everything with Makarov. We'll go shopping tomorrow, and today you can just get settled in."

Erik snorted and muttered, "Yeah, like we'll be able to settle in and be comfortable in _your_ house, slave driver." Jellal pretended not to hear that, but a certain pinkette did not stay quiet.

"Don't call him that," Meredy snapped as she walked into the living room. She sat down next to Jellal on the couch opposite the one the others were sat in. "I'm Meredy and I'm another roommate of yours in a sense. We will get along as long as you don't call Jellal those types of things or always look at him in hatred."

Sawyer glared at the teenager. "Do you even know what he did to us?" he asked angrily.

Meredy nodded. "Actually, I do. I do know what happened in that orphanage. I also know what happened to Jellal and he had a rough time there too."

Jellal whispered, "Meredy don't. They have a right to be mad. After all I did to them…"

Meredy exclaimed. "No I will! They need to let it go. That was all in the past. They don't even know what happened to you!"

Sorano cackled, "Ha, like anything bad happened to him. The owners loved him. He was their favorite. He did their dirty work as their little bitch."

Meredy chuckled darkly, "You have no idea."

At that, Jellal's vision blurred as his legs gave out. His knees hit the ground hard as he clutched his head. It felt like his throat was closing up and he was having difficulty breathing. He could hear Meredy yell, "Quick, someone get me a phone or something!" He could hear everyone shuffling to do _something_.

Then his mind went blank as he lost himself in his nightmares.


	3. Chapter 2

**I don't own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

In the depths of his memories Jellal heard, "Jellal…Jellal…Can you hear me? Jellal…Breathe, I need you to breathe for me…Stay calm Jellal…I'm here for you."

"Uhh…Lu…cy," he groaned, "I'm tired."

Lucy smiled softly and said, "I know you are babe, Let's get you to bed." She turned to look at Meredy and said, "Meredy, help me get him to bed." Meredy and Lucy hooked Jellal's arms around their shoulders and carried them to bed.

Erik watched as they walked away and turned to his friends when they disappeared into Jellal's bedroom. "What do you think that was about?" he whispered.

Sorano shrugged and said, "I don't know, and honestly, I don't care. I wish he just choked and died right there."

Lucy cleared her throat, and everyone whipped their heads around to look at her. "I'm sorry Meredy yelled at you guys like that. She just doesn't see Jellal in the way that you guys do. Jellal has kind of been raising her alongside Ultear for the past 7 years, at least until she died a couple of months ago. Jellal's panic attack wasn't your fault. It was actually something Meredy said that triggered it. I'll be having a word with her. I understand though. You only have bad memories of Jellal and that's what's fueling your hatred. I just want you to try and make this work, at least for yourselves. Don't you think you deserve to be free after everything? Jellal's the only one that can help you get true freedom right now. Just try to make this work."

They all exchanged glances. This Lucy chick _was_ right. They did deserve to be free. They never wanted to be in that wretched orphanage, nor did they want to be under the care of that abusive psychopath with a split personality disorder. They craved and deserved freedom, and they would get it, even if that meant being with the likes of Jellal.

Once they nodded, Lucy smiled and said, "Good. Since Jellal is obviously currently unavailable. I will help you guys get settled in. Just so you know, I'll be popping in a lot, and if you have any problems you can always come to me if you don't feel comfortable with Jellal yet. So before we do that, I want to get to know you guys."

They all groaned or rolled their eyes, but they obliged. The five delinquents sat on one couch, while Lucy and (begrudgingly) Meredy sat in the couch across from them. Erik started them off, "I'm Cobra, I'm twenty seven, and I like snakes."

Lucy gave him a confused glance, "Isn't that your Oración Seis alias?"

Erik smirked, "Only those I trust can call me by my real name."

Erik hoped to offend the blonde, but she just smiled graciously. "I'll be sure to tell Jellal then." Erik was stunned. He couldn't understand why this chick was being so welcoming when they were basically snapping at her.

Macbeth went next, "I'm Midnight. I'm twenty seven, and I have narcolepsy."

Sawyer followed, "I'm Racer. Twenty six. I like all sorts of races."

Sorano went next, "I'm Angel, which is my alias not my real name. I'm twenty five, and I hate Jellal." She smirked as she uttered the last sentence hoping to get a reaction out of the blonde girl. Meredy clenched her fist, but Lucy squeezed her hand and the pinkette seemed to relax. Sorano was stunned as well. Why was this girl not reacting as they insulted her friend?

Richard went last. "I am Richard Glaz. I'm twenty nine, and I just want to find my brother."

Lucy smiled at him, "Well, I'm glad you trust us. What happened to your brother?"

Richard smiled sadly, "He was at the orphanage with me. I was adopted by Brain and we got separated. I've always hated Brain, even before he went all psycho on us."

Lucy exclaimed, "You'll definitely find him. That's one of the things Jellal and I can help you with over the next two years."

Richard blushed and muttered a quick 'Thank you.' Meredy then went, "As you all know, I'm Meredy Milkovich. I'm 17 years old. I love sweets. I also don't tolerate bad things said about Jellal."

Lucy chuckled, "Don't give her any sweets, unless you want to deal with her on a sugar high. Believe me it's not pretty."

"Lucy! Stop embarrassing me!" Meredy whined.

Lucy giggled, "Okay! Okay! Anyways, I'm Lucy Heartiflia and I'm twenty four. If we're keeping it short and sweet, then all I have to say is that I'm an aspiring writer."

Sorano snorted, "How's that working out for you?"

Lucy's smile never wavered, "The book is still in progress, so okay for now. We'll have to wait and see what happens when I try to get it published." Again, Sorano was confused and shocked. Did this girl not have the ability to be pissed off?

Lucy then said, "Well, I guess it's time to show you your rooms." They all got up and stalked toward the bedrooms. When they reached the first one she said, "Okay, this is Midnight's room and the one next to it is Cobra's room. Across from Cobra's room is Richard's room, and next to that is Racer's room. Angel, your room is on the other side of the living room, away from the boys for your own privacy. Is this okay with you guys?"

Lucy looked at all five of them as they nodded. She continued, "Okay, Jellal's and Meredy's bedrooms are upstairs along with three guest rooms. The kitchen is on this side of the house right behind the living room, and you all have your own bathrooms. Meredy and I will leave you guys to get settled in."

The five ex-gangsters went to their own respective rooms and started to unpack the little stuff they had. When Erik was done, he laid down on his queen-sized bed and contemplated the situation. He hated Jellal, but liked the idea of freedom. The little girl was a little weird, but the busty blonde seemed okay. It helped that she was hot. Erik just closed his eyes and hoped these two years would go by quickly.

After leaving Oración Seis alone, Lucy pulled Meredy to the side and sternly said, "Meredy, how many times have Erza, Ultear, and I told you not to say things like that in front of Jellal? You know the effect it has on him!"

Meredy looked down at her feet and guiltily said, "I know, but I wish those bastards knew what Jellal went through. They wouldn't be so quick to judge then."

Meredy then dragged herself to her room while Lucy went to Jellal's. Lucy was surprised to see Jellal awake so soon. She grinned, "Awake so soon, sleepyhead?"

Jellal winced and asked, "Did I have a panic attack?"

Lucy grimaced, "Yeah. It wasn't pretty. You're lucky I was already on my way here to introduce myself."

Jellal quickly said, "You can't tell Makarov."

Lucy bit her lip. She knew telling Makarov would be the right thing to do, but she also knew that Makarov would pull Jellal from this and Jellal really needed to do this for closure. She caved, "Okay, I won't tell him about this one, just because it would seem bad that you had a panic attack on the first day of the job."

Jellal smiled and said, "Thanks Lucy. I can always count on you."

Lucy then smiled slyly, "You know, Erza's been thinking about you a lot lately."

Jellal groaned, "Not this again Lucy. I can't be in a relationship with her. You know that."

Lucy exclaimed, "Oh come on! Is this because of Simon? You were in one of your relapses while you were driving the car and you also had the right of way! Simon forgave you in his last breaths and his sister Kagura a few months after that! You're in love with her, you told me yourself!"

Jellal said, "It's not that. I can't give Erza the relationship she deserves. I don't know if I can be…intimate with her. It took me months to just handle the touch of another person, and a year to handle a hug. Who knows how long it'll take me to take it to that level with Erza!"

Lucy exclaimed, "Erza won't care. She's never been in a relationship before because she's so in love with you! She's a twenty six year old virgin; if she waited twenty six years, she'll wait another couple of years for you if she has to."

Jellal sighed, "Just drop it Lucy, okay?"

Lucy sighed and said, "Fine," as she raised up her hands defensively. "Anyways, you know where I'll be. God knows what you and Meredy have been living off of since you finished off the last casserole I left. By the way, they all want to be called by their Oración Seis aliases, except Richard. "

* * *

They all came in for lunch (prepared by Lucy obviously). Meredy squealed as she realized that Lucy cooked, "Thank God! I haven't had anything other than takeout for two weeks. I'm sick of sweet and sour chicken."

Jellal raised an eyebrow and playfully said, "Would you rather me try to cook?"

Meredy shuddered and said, "Never. The last time you tried to cook I'm pretty sure that I saw it move."

Jellal and Meredy continued their banter as everyone watched. Lucy giggled at the other five who seemed at awe at such an interaction. She leaned in toward Erik next to her and whispered, "This happens all the time. This is the norm here. Jellal is usually a serious person, but Meredy, Erza, and I know him better than his serious exterior."

Erik and his friends continued to watch the banter. They were surprise that whom they thought to be cold and heartless was being playful and silly. Is this what normal is like? Being able to be playful with one another and not worry about consequences? Not worrying about whether you would live to see another day? Not worrying about mental of physical abuse being thrown at you? Erik could only hope for a future like this.

Lucy seemed to realize what Erik was thinking as she gave his shoulder a little squeeze. He gave her a small smile before he realized what he was doing and scowled. Lucy noticed anyway and grinned wider before she broke Meredy and Jellal up to eat.

The lunch started out awkward before Lucy broke the silence, "So Meredy, how's your last year at Fairy Tail Academy been?"

Meredy immediately perked up and said, "It's been great, but I miss being with Romeo, Chelia, and Eve. I also miss being with Sting and Rogue even though they graduated two years ago. Other than that, I'm having lots of fun even though it's a little stressful."

Lucy nodded, "Where are you planning to go for college? Magnolia like Romeo, Wendy, Natsu, Gray, an so many others or Sabertooth like Sting, Rogue, Yukino, Minerva, and others? I've heard it's not to bad since Jiemma was arrested."

Meredy but her lip hesitantly, "Um…Actually, I don't know if I should go to college this year. Ultear didn't exactly leave a college fund, and…I don't want to burden Jellal. So I want to get a job and save up enough before I go."

Jellal dropped his fork onto his plate as he raised his voice, "Meredy, we've talked about this before! You aren't and will never be a burden to me! I make enough money to send you to college three times over; you know that!"

Meredy turned and exclaimed, "Well what about when you have kids? You'll need to send them to college. Save it for them. I don't want you to think this is your responsibility just because Ultear left me in your care!"

Jellal yelled back, "So the last seven years have meant nothing to you? Nothing at all? Even if Ultear was still here I would've definitely helped her out with college fees! Ultear and I have both raised you for the past seven years. This isn't my responsibility; this is my right!"

Meredy looked at her pseudo father through watery eyes and cried out as she wrapped her arms around him, "I love you, Jellal."

Jellal stiffened at first at the sudden display of affection, but soon relaxed and wrapped his arms around the pinkette. "I love you too you doof."

Throughout this entire scream fest, everyone else was looking down at their plates while playing with their food awkwardly (even Lucy). Once the bluenette and the pinkette calmed down, Meredy cleared her throat and once again started the conversation, "So, I'm thinking Magnolia. I love Sting, Rogue, and Yukino, but I think Magnolia is the best choice for me. So how is Project Gruvia going?"

This piqued Sorano's curiosity. "What's Project Gruvia?"

Lucy grinned, "Well Project Gruvia is basically us trying to get two of our friends together. They are both totally in love with each other, but they still won't get together."

Sorano was even more interested now. "Why not?"

Lucy smiled and said, "Well, Gray's just a stubborn idiot who doesn't want to get hurt. Juvia just had a baby that's not Gray's"

Sorano eyes widened as she said, "Shouldn't she be with the father then?"

Lucy and Meredy shook their heads as Jellal gripped his fork a harder, an action not going unnoticed by the others. Erik and Macbeth exchanged glances. Jellal is again showing compassion and other respectable emotions, they don't know what to make of it.

Meredy then said, "Well let's just say that the father is her terrible ex who is in jail for a good reason. Juvia actually acknowledges that she is in love with Gray, even though she went out with another guy for two years, but thinks that she shouldn't burden him with the responsibility of father figure."

Lucy continued, "They used to be roommates, along with other people, and Juvia moved out of there and in with me because she was pregnant. Gray literally begged her not to and told her a baby wouldn't be too much trouble, but she didn't listen and moved in with me anyways."

Sorano processed the information and said, "Wow…Whoever these people are seem perfect for each other. I'm in."

Lucy and Meredy smirked while all the males groaned. Lucy said, "No actual update on Gruvia. It may actually be going downhill because Juvia has been hanging out with Lyon."

Meredy's smirk grew as she said, "That's not a bad thing. Gray hates it when Lyon flirts with Juvia. If anything, we can use it to push him overboard."

Lucy's phone rang. She excused herself to take the call and Erik watched as she walked away. The blonde intrigued him. She seemed caring and compassionate. She seemed to have Sorano warm up to both herself and the pinkette in one conversation.

Lucy came back and said, "I have to go, apparently Liam got himself into a fight or something. Bye everyone."

As soon as Lucy left Macbeth piped up, "Who's Liam?" Erik listened intently, curious as well.

"Her seven year old son. She had him young, and to answer your next question, no she's not with the father. She's not quite sure who the father is," Jellal replied, not really understanding how his words sounded to them and oblivious to their reactions, as was Meredy.

All five of their eyes widened. Millions of thoughts running through their heads. Sorano had a look of disgust. All respect she had for the blonde went down the toilet. Memories of her own mother with multiple men and not knowing the fathers of both her and her younger half-sister. Sawyer's and Macbeth's thoughts were quite similar in thinking that she was nothing but a filthy slut. Richard just felt bad for her. Erik, however, was more intrigued. He wouldn't believe that the girl they just met was one to sleep around. She didn't seem like that kind of girl, even with her outward appearance. He wanted to figure this girl out.


	4. Chapter 3

**I do not own Fairy Tail. It belongs to Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

Lucy was walking home with her son William silently. She could tell he felt guilty with the way he was biting his lips and fiddling with his fingers, the things she usually did when she felt guilty.

Lucy broke the silence, "Babe, why'd you do it? Why did you start a fight? You know I hate violence."

Her son huffed, "The other boys called you a bad name. I can't stand that they called you that."

Lucy asked curiously, "What did these boys call me?"

Liam bit his lip and said, "They called you…They called you…They called you a whore! They said that you were a slut because I don't have a dad and you were a teenager when you had me! I…I just wanted to punch them, so I did. Uncle Natsu said that if anyone calls you those bad words I should teach them a lesson. Uncle Gray, Aunt Erza, and Uncle Jellal all agreed with him."

Lucy rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Of course they did." Then, to her son she said, "Honey, I know it hurts you when they say those things, but violence isn't the answer. They don't know the truth, but you do Liam. That should be enough for you. You know that I'm not a slut or a whore, right?"

Liam nodded rapidly, "Of course Mommy."

"Then it doesn't matter what they say, as long as they don't change your mind. As long as you know the truth," Lucy continued, "If they do say something, you tell a teacher or principal. Don't hit them."

Liam nodded as Lucy smiled. "Let's go home now, sweetie."

* * *

The next day, Meredy woke up with a start to the sound of Jellal yelling. Groggily, she got up and went down to the living room. When she got there she saw everyone else (save for Jellal) in the same state. Meredy sleepily asked, "What is this Jellal? It's Saturday morning."

Jellal rolled his eyes and said, "It's half past noon Meredy. Besides we need to go shopping. I doubt they can only live off the clothes on their back and what we give them from our clothes."

Meredy glanced at her five new roommates. It was true. Erik and Midnight seemed to fit well in Jellal's clothes, but they were very loose on Sawyer's skinny frame and tight on Richard's large torso. Sorano was slightly more developed than Meredy and the pajamas Meredy gave her hugged her curves a bit too tightly, not that the platinum-haired girl cared.

"Fine," Meredy huffed, "but why do I have to come? I don't have anything to do there."

"Oh come on," Jellal said. Hesitantly, he continued, "Lucy is going to be there. Juvia might be there."

Meredy thought as she bit her lip and soon blushed, "Actually, you know what, I think I'll join you guys. As long as we go to Aeropostale."

Jellal's face turned into one with a look of horror, "No, we are not going to Aeropostale. In fact, you don't have to come at all. Stay here, sleep, do whatever."

Meredy smirked and said cheekily, "Too late. I'm coming and we are all going to Aeropostale. Get over yourself Jellal."

Jellal slumped onto the couch and groaned. The others gave him a questioning look. Jellal groaned again, "It's just. She likes this guy that works there, and I'm pretty sure that he likes her too. Then, they're going to date, and ugh…That can't happen."

Sorano rolled her eyes, and her friends all burst into laughter as they walked to their rooms. Jellal decided to call Lucy. He grabbed the phone and dialed her number. When she picked up the phone he said, "Hey Lucy. We're going to the mall soon. Come over quick."

He heard her sigh from the other side of the line, "I don't know if I can Jellal. Juvia is at work, and I'm taking care of Jazz and Liam right now. Can I have a raincheck?"

Jellal groaned, "No Lucy you have to come. I'm pretty sure Cobra, Angel, Racer, Midnight, and Richard like you better than me. Meredy is going to be needing you to stop me from hurting her little crush."

She snorted, "At least Eve is better than Lyon."

Jellal retaliated, "I wasn't scared of her crush on Lyon. Lyon would never actually go for Meredy. He is twenty six and gay!"

He could hear Lucy gasp through the phone, "Lyon told Juvia and I that in confidence, and I told you in confidence."

Jellal scoffed, "He should just man up and tell everyone. I mean, we've all known that Freed was gay since Freed knew himself. Forget that, are you coming or not?"

Lucy groaned, "Fine, but I will have a screaming one year old and a whining seven year old with me." Then, she hung up on him.

* * *

Soon enough, Lucy was at Jellal's door carrying Juvia's daughter on her right hip and holding her son's hand in her left hand.

Meredy smiled as she opened the door, "Hey Lucy. Jellal and I are ready; we're just waiting for the others."

As soon as they started to come down, Liam hid behind his mother's legs. Sorano was the first to come down. She took one look at Lucy and snarled in disgust. Lucy shot a confused look at Meredy and mouthed, "What was that about?" Meredy just shrugged. Macbeth and Sawyer came down and rolled their eyes at the sight of her. Erik and Richard came down normally.

Though confused, Lucy put it aside and introduced the little ones. "This little bluenette is Jazz. She is Juvia's daughter. And this little one is my son Liam." To Liam she said as she pointed to each of them, "Honey, this is Angel-san. That is Midnight-san, and that is Racer-san. This is Richard-san, and that is Cobra-san." Liam nodded shyly and instantly ran to Jellal. Jellal picked him up and threw him in the air. "Jellal!" Lucy exclaimed.

Jellal just laughed, "Relax Lucy. I won't drop him. Never have, never will."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Okay let's just go."

* * *

After 23 shops, Meredy finally dragged them all to Aeropostale. As Meredy walked towards Eve, Jellal turned away. "Don't tell me what's going on."

Sorano teased, "Oh don't look now, Meredy's _flirting_."

Jellal groaned, "Please, stop torturing me. I can't take it."

Meredy soon came back and squealed, "He wants to hang out. Granted it's with Romeo and Wendy, but it's one step forward."

Jellal let out a breath, "Oh thank God," which earned him a smack in the head from Meredy and Lucy.

* * *

Soon, they went to the food court. Their table was covered with shopping bags and lots of pizza. Jellal spoke first, "Guys, I know it's only been two days since you started this, but I think you guys should start looking for part time jobs."

The ex-gangsters looked at one another and broke into laughter. Lucy glared at them and they instantly stopped laughing. "Guys, Jellal is being serious. Yeah, right now he's taking care of you and you don't have to pay for rent or food or anything, and you get a stipend from the Council, but after these two years you'll lose all that. You won't get a stipend, and you'll have to pay for everything yourself. You don't want to get stuck with some dead-end job. You want a career. For that, you'll have to go to college. Right now, you obviously don't have the money for tuition. You need jobs."

They were all silent for a while before Erik said, "Yeah, I want to go to college. I want a career. You're right. I'll start looking for a part time job." The others murmured in agreement.

Lucy smiled, "Okay next thing on the agenda, tutors. There is a tutor coming once a week to teach you guys. This person is doing a favor for me, not government mandated, but how are you going to go college when you're not even at a high school level? I know it's a bit embarrassing, but Jellal did it too. Jellal was at a fifth-grade level when he was first tested at twenty. Now, look at him, CEO of a tech company that makes millions and works alongside the government. So, are you guys down?" They all grumbled in agreement.

Meredy brought her hands together and said, "Okay. Now that the serious stuff is done, I have something for you Lucy."

Lucy gave her a blank look and said, "No."

"Oh come on," Meredy whined, "He's a TA at my school for my English teacher, twenty-six years old and super cute. He's perfect for you."

Lucy looked at her straight in the eye and said, "No, Meredy. I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now."

Sorano snorted, "Of course you're not. Why have a serious relationship when you can just screw around?"

Lucy took in a deep breath and got up from her seat. "Angel, Midnight, Racer, can I talk to you guys alone for a minute?"

Lucy then handed Jazz over to Jellal and walked a couple feet away from their table. Sorano, Sawyer, and Macbeth exchanged looks before following her. "Okay, I want to get one thing straight. I don't owe you guys any explanation. I am willing telling you guys this," Lucy said sternly, "First, I know that knowing that I had a son as a teenager changes your perspective of me. It shouldn't. You guys don't know me, and I have changed since my teenage years. I don't have to tell you this, but I have been celibate since I knew I was pregnant with Liam. My past should not affect my relationship with you now, especially since my past has nothing to do with you guys. Understood?"

Macbeth and Sawyer begrudgingly nodded as Macbeth said, "We understand Lucy. We're sorry for judging you." Sorano stayed quiet.

Lucy said, "I accept your apology. Can I talk to Angel alone for a minute?" Macbeth and Sawyer promptly left and went back to their table. Lucy turned to Sorano and said, "Angel, I know the reason that you don't like me is because of your mother."

Sorano whipped around to look at Lucy. "How do you know about my mother?"

Lucy simply said, "I know a lot of things about all of you guys, including your real names. I probably know things about you guys that you don't even know. Your mother was a bad person, and she didn't care for you or your sister. You think I'm like that. That I don't care for my son because I think he messed up my life. Well you're wrong. My son is the single most important thing in my life. I love him more than you can even imagine. I know this isn't about your mom. This is about your sister."

Sorano squeezed her eyes shut and shakily said, "Stop. Please just stop."

Lucy then softly said, "It's okay Angel. I know you hate yourself for being separated from your sister when you said you would always protect her. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault that they took her from you stop blaming yourself."

"It is my fault," Sorano cried, "It's all my fault. I should have tried harder."

Lucy wrapped her arms around the crying girl and soothingly said, "It's not your fault. It never was. I will help you find your sister if that's what you want."

Sorano looked at her through watery eyes and asked, "You will? Because I just want to see my little sister again."

Lucy nodded. "i promise you that you will meet your little sister again. Now let's get you cleaned up." The two girls went to the bathroom and came back as if everything was normal.

* * *

Back at the Fernandes residence after Jellal and Meredy went to bed, Oración Seis was gathered in Sorano's bedroom. Macbeth was the first to speak, "Don't you think that we're being a little too quick to trust them. I mean, don't you remember what Jellal did to us."

Sorano piped up, "We're not trusting them. We're using them to get our freedom."

Macbeth retaliated, "Well, you seemed a little too close to that blonde chick today. It seemed like you were trusting her."

Sorano scoffed, "I don't trust her. I haven't let her call me by my name yet. She's just…okay, I guess."

Macbeth rolled his eyes, "Whatever, just don't forget what Jellal has done, and that fact that the blonde chick is practically his girlfriend."

Erik raised an eyebrow and said, "Does it seem like that kind of a relationship to you? I don't think so; it seems more like a brother-sister bond to me."

Sawyer smirked, "Does little Erik have crush on the blonde chick?"

Erik quickly said, "No I don't have a crush on her she's just…intriguing."

Macbeth scoffed, "Sure, that's it. Just don't forget that Jellal is a scumbag and pinkie and the blonde are in league with him." With that he left to his room and the others followed suit.

* * *

The next day, Lucy was waiting in front of Richard's room. When Richard opened the door, the first thing Lucy said was, "I found your brother."

Richard's eyes went wide, "What? How?"

"I've known him for a while now," Lucy said, "I saw the similarities, but didn't think much of it because you have different last names. His name is Wally, right?"

Richard nodded, "Yes! How do you know him? How has he been all these years? Oh my god, I finally found him."

Lucy laughed, "Breathe Richard. Wally was close to Erza, along with Milliana,Sho, and Simon, and all four of them came to see her again after all these years. When they came we all met them and they patched things up with Jellal. Simon died in a car accident, and so they moved away to move on. Wally and Sho are now traveling the world making a documentary. They should actually come back in the next two or three weeks."

Richard launched himself at Lucy and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you. Thank you so much. You can't even imagine how grateful I am."

Lucy just hugged him back and let him let it all out.

* * *

Later, Lucy was in the kitchen of the Fernandes residence waiting for her friend to grade the diagnostic tests of the five former criminals living in the residence. "Okay Lu-chan," Levy said, "I'm done."

Lucy jumped up and asked anxiously, "How'd they do? I mean, it's obviously not their fault if they didn't do so well, like Jellal. Though, they could've done better than—"

"Lu-chan," Levy interrupted, "They did better than we all expected them to. They are all at a tenth grade level. I can have them 'graduated' in 2 months."

Lucy smiled, "Oh that's great. Thank you for everything Levy. You're a blessing."

"I know," Levy smirked, "I'll see myself out. You go talk to them."

Lucy walked into the living room and all five heads turned to her. She smiled and said, "You guys are at a tenth grade level, very impressive considering everything. You will be 'graduated' in two months with Levy's help and your cooperation. Are you guys okay with that?"

Murmurs of agreement were exchanged between the five sitting on the living room couch. Lucy then continued, "Great, well that's all for now. You guys can go do whatever."

All of them but Erik left. Erik cleared his throat and said, "Thank you. For you know, doing all this. You don't really have to."

"This is nothing really," Lucy replied, "I'm glad to help. You guys do deserve this. Nothing that happened before was your fault."

"Yeah," Erik scoffed, "It was Jellal's fault."

Lucy shook her head, "No, it wasn't Jellal's fault. It was Brain's fault. You guys have to get rid of the habit of blaming Jellal for your past. I know he gave you terrible memories of the orphanage, but the his memories of the orphanage are scarring. His time there was just as bad as your time there if not worse. You should ask Jellal what actually happened between him and the people who ran the orphanage." With that, Lucy walked away from him, leaving Erik confused and curious.


	5. Chapter 4

**It's been a really, really long time. With school, writer's block, and exams, I just didn't have time. I wrote bits and pieces of this over these past 6 months. I hope the length makes up for the time. I have no idea when I'll post the next chapter, but since summer vacations have started, I want to try and update in the next three weeks.**

 **I don't usually do A/Ns like this, but every once and a while (when I take 7 years to update and such) it will happen, but don't expect it often. I know I'm someone who just skips over the A/N and just reads, so I don't write many.**

 **Anyway, disclaimer blah blah blah don't own Fairy Tail blah blah blah it's Hiro's blah blah wish I did though. Now to the story**

* * *

"Please, please, please, please, please, please Jellal!" Lucy begged, "I really want them to meet everyone, and it'll be good for them. To have some social interaction with people other than you, Meredy, Levy, and I."

"Yeah, you're right about that," Jellal said, "But clubbing? I don't know. I just don't think it will go well."

It had been two weeks since Jellal gained five new roommates. The five had advanced farther in their studies than Levy thought they would; she believed they would be done with high school curriculum in the next three weeks. Richard was a PA for a someone in Finances at Jellal's tech company. Macbeth was a makeup artist at a salon close by. Sawyer worked as a library technician at a public library not too far from the house. Sorano modeled for a department store a couple blocks away. Erik was a data analyst in the Human Resources department at Bickslow's toy company. Lucy thinks that they should finally meet the rest of their friends.

"Come on Jellal. This is probably the only time for a long time that all our friends will be able to stay out," Lucy begged once more.

Jellal finally gave in, "Fine, but please nothing to loud and crowded. I'm not sure they are ready for that yet."

Lucy nodded, "It won't be. Ren is holding a party at his nightclub. It's been a year since he first opened it, so he's holding a party for the it's anniversary. It's invite only. He told me there will be no more than a hundred people there, and you know _Blue Pegasus_ is huge."

Jellal groaned, "Okay, okay. I'll tell them tonight, and we'll be ready to go by the time you get here tomorrow."

Lucy hugged him and said, "Thank you. Don't forget to tell Angel and Richard I have surprises for them. Tell Meredy that she can hang out with Wendy, Romeo, and Eve who are all babysitting. I have to go to work now." She gave him a kiss on the cheek goodbye and left.

Later that night, Jellal brought up the topic at the dinner table. "So," Jellal started, "There's a party at a club owned by one of Lucy and I's friends tomorrow night and we would like all of you to come. It will be good progress for all of you to have some social interaction outside of us, work, and tutoring."

"Will we be able to drink?" Sawyer asked.

"Well, you can," Jellal replied, "but I would still have to report everything you do. Even if it's something stupid that you did drunk."

"I really just want to spend my day off work sleeping," Macbeth said, stuffing a forkful of chow mien in his mouth.

"Well, you could go to the social event Makarov wants you to go to, some local town ball," Jellal said smiling slyly. Meredy snickered as soon as the word "ball" came out of Jellal's mouth.

The male ex gang members all blanched. They simultaneously said, "No way," as Sorano said, "That might actually be fun."

All four of them turned to look at her weirdly, but she just shrugged indifferently, "I've never been to a ball my entire life. Excuse me for wanting to live out a childhood fantasy."

Jellal chuckled, "I'm pretty sure Lucy and some other girls are going. You can go with them if you really like. I'll ask Lucy for you. Are guys up for tomorrow night?" They all grumbled, more or less agreeing. Jellal rolled his eyes and continued, "All our other friends will be there. Be ready to be introduced by many people. Meredy, you, Wendy, Romeo, and Eve are going to be babysitting. It's an 18+ club, so you can't go, but Romeo, Eve, and Wendy opted to stay with you." Meredy blushed at the thought of Eve wanting to hang out with her. Jellal rolled his eyes, but decided not to comment and continued, "Please, be on your best behavior tomorrow night. Laxus will be there, and not only is he Makarov's grandson, he is a cop. Alzack and Bisca, who also work with Makarov, will be there too."

Macbeth rolled his eyes as Erik scoffed, "Yeah, yeah we'll be good little boys and girls in front of your friends."

Jellal sighed, "That's all I ask for."

* * *

Sorano was completely frustrated. Though they went to the mall with Jellal two weeks ago, she didn't buy any clothes for clubbing because it would've been awkward and all her guy friends would've gotten a kick out of it.

"Ugh," Sorano groaned as she threw herself onto her bed, "I wish I had girl friends. Wait a minute…" Sorano quickly got up and grabbed the cellphone that Jellal gave her. She hesitantly hovered over Lucy's contact, wondering if she should call her. In the end she gave in. Sorano held the phone to her ear hoping Lucy would pick up.

"Hello?"

Sorano sighed, "Oh thank God you picked up. It would have been so embarrassing otherwise."

"Angel? Is that you?" Lucy asked from the other line.

"Yeah it is," Sorano replied, "I was wondering if you could help me."

Lucy immediately perked up from the other line, "Of course, Angel, what is it?"

Sorano hesitated, "Well, you see…I…uh…I don't exactly have the right type of clothes to go clubbing."

Lucy laughed. Sorano stiffened as she thought that the blonde was making fun of her, but relaxed completely when Lucy said, "That's it? That's totally fine. You can borrow something from me or Juvia, I think we are all roughly the same size. I'll pick you up in 20. You can go to the party with us, or you can go back to your place afterwards."

Sorano smiled and gratefully said, "Thank you."

Lucy replied before she ended the call, "No problem. See you soon. Bye." Once the call ended, Sorano threw herself back onto the bed and thought, _Well, I guess blondie isn't that bad._

Lucy soon arrived at Jellal's house to pick up Sorano. She quickly texted Sorano, so as not to waste time parking the car so they could quickly leave. Sorano quickly came down and jumped into the front seat of the car. As she buckled in she said, "By the way, I haven't told the boys anything. I don't think they even know I left, so I'm going to go with you guys. To give them all a scare."

Lucy laughed, "It's so much fun pranking them, isn't it? I've learned that Jellal is the most susceptible to pranks and least likely to lash back, so naturally he is usually a target."

The girls spent the entire drive talking and learned a lot about each other. Sorano even shared some of the very few good memories she had from the orphanage.

After reaching the house and parking the car in the driveway, Lucy and Sorano got out of the car and headed to the front door. Lucy dug through her pockets and then cursed, "Damn, I must have left my keys at home. Hopefully, Juvia's home." She rung the doorbell and Juvia immediately came to the door.

Sorano studied the bluenette that came out. Her hair was tied up and she was wearing what looked to be an apron. She seemed a little familiar.

"I knew you left your keys again. God Lucy, you have to stop doing this," Juvia then turned to Sorano and extended her hand, "Hello Angel. It's nice to finally meet you. Lucy has told me about you. Only good things, I assure you."

Sorano was slightly stunned, but she reached out to shake the bluenette's hand. Juvia continued, "Lucy tells me that you have nothing to wear for the party tonight. Usually in this situation all the girls will come together to go shopping, but since the party is about four hours away, it is too last minute for anyone to come. You can just borrow something of mine or Lucy's. Oh god, I've been rambling, haven't I? Please come in."

Sorano came into the house and Lucy led her to her room while Juvia went to bring her own party. Once Juvia came in with her large pile of clothes, Sorano started to try things on. After a whole hour, Sorano finally found the perfect outfit. It was a white backless peplum dress with a plunging neckline. It didn't have her usual touch of feathers, but it still looked amazing.

Lucy and Juvia squealed as Sorano came out of the bathroom after changing. Lucy exclaimed, "That's the dress. You have to wear that."

Juvia nodded, "You look amazing Angel. You look great in white. All heads will be turning toward you tonight."

Lucy smiled slyly as she said, "I think she is only hoping for one speedy guy to have his eyes on her."

Sorano blushed as Juvia and Lucy both wiggled their eyebrows suggestively at her. "Shut up you guys."

Juvia laughed, "Alright, alright. We'll stop."

Sorano stared at Juvia for a second before asking, "Okay, this has been bothering me for the past hour. Juvia, have I met you before? You seem familiar?"

Juvia smiled sadly, "Yeah we met before. I used to be in a gang in Oak Town, Phantom Lord. We met once when we were trading weapons I believe."

Sorano's eyes widened, "Oh my god, I remember now. You were Rain Woman. Wow, you look really different now."

Juvia smiled brightly, "Physically, I look the same. I just look happier now. I thought Phantom Lord was my life as they were the only ones to accept me, but I realized that they only used me. They only wanted my strength, to use me as a puppet. I could only depend on Gajeel there. I found my true friends here. I know you will too."

Sorano was stunned at the cheerful bluenette. She remembered the Rain Woman as a stoic, emotionless woman; this woman seemed nothing like her. This Juvia smiled brightly and happiness seemed to dance in her eyes. Sorano hoped that she could be that happy one day.

"Okay," Lucy said after a minute of silence, "There is less than two hours left until we have to leave for the party. Sorano, take off the dress and take a shower in here. After you come out, blow dry your hair and I'll get started on your makeup. Juvia and I will shower in the other bathrooms." They all obliged and went to their respective bathrooms to shower.

An hour and forty-five minutes later, all three girls were ready. Sorano was wearing the dress she had decided on earlier. Juvia was wearing a sexy one arm blue mini dress with cutouts along her left side that flaunted her long legs as it ended right under her butt. Lucy was wearing a short black mini dress with long lace sleeves and a cutout on her chest. Juvia had light makeup in contrast to Lucy and Sorano's dark makeup.

They stood still for a while admiring and complimenting each other before they decided to head out. In the car, Juvia was driving, while Sorano sat in the passenger seat and Lucy in the back. Halfway through the drive, Lucy felt a buzz from her clutch. She took out her phone and saw that Jellal texted her. _When are you guys going to get here?_ Lucy had already informed Jellal that Sorano was with them so as not to give him a heart attack before he is thirty.

Lucy texted back, _Thirty minutes. You?_ She quickly received a reply from him, _Same. We're sticking to the plan, right?_ Lucy replied, _Of course. Now we need to stop texting before someone notices and questions us_.

Just as Lucy predicted, thirty minutes later the three girls arrived at the club. Right under the neon blue sign displaying the words _Blue Pegasus_ and right outside the doors of the club were six males waiting for them. Juvia instantly threw herself at Jellal, having not seen the man she found akin to a brother in many weeks.

Jellal, anticipating Juvia's actions, already held his arms open for her to jump in. He didn't mind. He missed his baby sister too.

While Lucy only rolled her eyes, the former gangsters stared at the two bluenettes in confusion. They couldn't help but wonder how someone who was so terrible, someone who had been akin to a slavedriver could be so loved and cared about by so many people.

Juvia finally let go of Jellal, and her eyes widened as she saw the other six people staring at her, as if she did not know they were standing there.

"Oh jeez," the bluenette said, "You all must think I'm crazy. I'm Juvia. I think you already met my daughter. You guys must be Cobra, Midnight, Racer, and Richard. It's nice to meet you." Juvia walked over and individually shook each of the four males' hands. While Richard took her seriously, Macbeth and Erik just shot her amused glances.

Once Juvia finished introducing herself, everyone was about to go into the club when Lucy exclaimed, "Wait!" They all froze and turned to look at her. Lucy continued, "I have a surprise for Angel and Richard!"

Richard and Sorano perked up after hearing their names. They shared a glance while wondering what surprise the blonde could have for the two of them. "Okay," Sorano said, exaggerating the first syllable of the word, "Does that mean we can go in now?"

"Nope," Lucy exclaimed perkily while holding out two black-and-white bandanas.

The two former criminals looked at her in disbelief. "Are you serious? Blindfolds?" Sorano asked. Lucy nodded her head enthusiastically. Sorano sighed and took one of the bandanas with Richard following right after her. Lucy tied the blindfold for Sorano and Erik did it for Richard.

Once the blindfolds were in place and the two to be surprised were right in front of the doors, Erik leaned over toward Lucy and softly asked, "So, what's the surprise you have for those two?"

Lucy smiled slyly and whispered back, "Wouldn't you like to know?" With that, she and Jellal opened the doors and slowly started to walk Sorano and Richard in with there others trailing behind.

Once inside the club, Erik saw that they were walking towards two people, one male and the other female. The woman had platinum hair and, as if that wasn't already a dead giveaway, a feathery dress. The man had dark hair and similar facial structure to Richard. It was obvious who the two were. Erik turned to look at Lucy who seemed to be bubbling with excitement. Erik couldn't help but smile softly at the blonde's enthusiasm; she was acting as if she were receiving the surprise rather than Sorano and Richard.

"Okay!" Lucy exclaimed, pulling Erik out of his trance. "You can take off your blindfolds now!"

Sorano ripped off the blindfolds as quickly as possible, anxious about her surprise. Her eyes widened as she saw the woman in front of her. The same love for a feathery finish, the same platinum hair, and the same violet eyes. As tears started rolling down her face she ran into the arms of the younger girl in front of her. "Welcome home, big sister," said the girl.

Sorano broke away from the younger girl and cried, "Yukino, I haven't seen you in so many years. I'm so sorry I left you alone in that orphanage. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Yukino smiled as she wiped the tears, "It's okay big sister. I'm okay. I'm sorry that he took you, and I'm sorry that while I've had this life of a wonderful adopted family, you were forced into this life of crime."

Sorano stood up straight. "No, it's not your fault. It's only Brain's fault. But I'm so happy to hear you got adopted by a good family. I'm so glad that I get to see you again. Tell me everything."

Yukino led her to a table so that she could catch up with her older sister. "Well, I got adopted by James and Meredith Aguria only a couple of months after you were taken. I grew up an only child. I'm studying arts, aspiring to go into jewelry design. I currently go to Sabertooth University, and I have a boyfriend I've been seeing for a little more than a year now."

Sorano's eyes widened as she exclaimed, "You have a boyfriend?!"

Yukino giggled happily and said, "Yeah, he's so sweet and I love him so much. He can be a bit oblivious, but he's amazing. In fact he should be…" Yukino trailed off as she looked around the club for her boyfriend. She almost sweat dropped when she saw the bright cherry-blossom-colored hair that belonged to the man she loved. He was again in a fight with his two best friends (though he would never admit it) Gajeel and Gray. "You know," Yukino said hesitantly as she looked back at her sister. "I can't seem to find Natsu in this crowd." She did not need Natsu's first impression to show him as a violent, reckless idiot. "I'll introduce him to you later," Yukino promised.

"How did you two meet?" Sorano asked animated. Yukino happily reminisced the meeting between the two while maintaining a small blush just thinking of the man she was in love with.

Lucy smiled at the two sisters before turning to see that Richard was still holding his younger brother in a death grip while sobbing. She was just happy to see them get their happy ending. She didn't even notice Erik come up behind her. She jumped as she heard him say, "Do you always do things like this?"

Lucy looked behind to confirm who the voice was (Erik) and asked, "Do I always do things like what?"

Erik quirked an eyebrow and said, "Go out of your way to make other people happy. You didn't have to reunite those two with their siblings but you did anyway. It must have been hard finding them."

Lucy smiled at him and said, "It actually wasn't. Jellal and Erza already knew Wally, and I was already pretty close friends with Yukino. Wally didn't get here until this week, so really the hardest part was getting Yukino to wait until today."

Erik shrugged and said, "Still, it seems like all you really do is help other people. Don't you ever think for yourself?"

Lucy was about to defend herself when a voice came from behind them, "No, she doesn't. It's one her bad habits, really, putting others' happiness before her own." The duo turned to see Jellal walking towards them. Lucy smiled and greeted him, while Erik just grunted. Lucy sighed internally, knowing that would be the best she would get out of Erik. Jellal turned to Lucy and said, "Come on, Laxus wants to talk to us." Jellal then grabbed Lucy's hand and dragged her to the other side of the club.

Lucy staggered as she tried to keep up with Jellal's quick pace. "What's so urgent that Laxus needs to talk about? Why do you have to drag me?" Lucy exclaimed.

Jellal quickly said, "He first wants to talk about the DNA test results between him and Liam, and then he wants to talk about Erik."

Lucy was surprised by this. She couldn't help but wonder what her pseudo brother had to say about Erik. Soon, the duo found Laxus. Laxus looked up to see his little sister, who hadn't seen in a month, and smiled. She immediately engulfed him in a hug, which he happily returned. Once the two let go, Lucy greeted, "Hey Laxus, how's it going? How's Mira? I haven't seen her since I got here."

Laxus smiled goofily as he thought of his wife, "Yeah, she's great. I'm great. Don't you two tell her I told you already, but we're expecting!"

"That's great, Laxus," Lucy exclaimed, "Soon, there'll be another Dreyar running around here, how exciting!"

Laxus grimaced as he said, "Speaking of another Dreyar, the DNA test results came back, and Liam and I are definitely related."

Lucy bit her lip and look down at the floor as she said, "I knew that this was what was most likely going to happen, but I just hoped it wasn't true." Jellal didn't say anything, but just wrapped an arm around her waist to comfort her.

Laxus took hold of Lucy's hands and solemnly said, "Lucy, I am so sorry. You don't know how sorry I am for everything that my father did to you. And now to know this on top of all the terrible things he's done to you must be tragic."

Lucy smiled sadly and bumped her hip against Laxus and said, "Hey, I told you a long time ago that it wasn't your fault what your father did to me, and it definitely isn't your fault that your father turned out to be Liam's father. If it makes you feel better, I can have Liam start calling you Laxus-nii."

Laxus chuckled, "I think I'd rather be known as Uncle Laxus. Having Liam call me Laxus-nii acknowledges the fact that that bastard is our father."

Jellal said, "What's done is done. It doesn't matter who Liam's father is. We still love him. Now let's go on to Erik. What did you have to tell us about him?"

Laxus looked down and gravely said, "Liam and I aren't the only Dreyar sons around."

Lucy's eyes widened. "You mean to say that Erik….." she trailed off.

Laxus nodded and grimly stated, "My dad raped his mother, Ariana Vibora. She got pregnant and decided to keep the baby, but my dad found out. He then killed her just days after Erik was born," Laxus paused before he sarcastically laughed and said, "It's disgusting. I thought Ivan started all this shit once mom died, but he obviously has been doing this at least since I was about two."

Lucy placed a hand on the shoulder of the muscular blonde man to try and comfort him. Laxus continued, "I need your help Lucy. I want to tell him everything."

Lucy's and Jellal's eyes both widened. "Are you sure, Laxus?" Lucy asked the blonde man that was akin to a brother to her, "He may try to blame everything on the closest person related to this, which is you."

Jellal continued, "I don't think it's a smart idea to confront Erik like that. Especially now, when they are just starting to settle in."

Laxus grimaced as he said, "I know, but I want to apologize to him at the very least for everything my despicable sperm donator had done to him and his mother."

Lucy sighed. She knew that once a Dreyar had something in mind, they wouldn't stop until they accomplished it. It was true for Laxus, Gramps, and Liam. "I'll try to set something up," Lucy said, "But no promises."

Laxus immediately brightened up and engulfed Lucy in a hug. Lucy simply chuckled and hugged him back. "Now can we not talk about depressing things?" Laxus smiled and nodded. The trio then continued to talk animatedly about their friends, their jobs, and their family. Jellal soon excused himself and told the two blondes that he was going to take a walk outside.

* * *

Sorano had spent the entire evening with her sister. She had even met his boyfriend. Sorano had thought that Natsu was kind of an idiot and she was worried about how close he was with Lucy, but she could see that he cared for Yukino from the way his eyes shined every time her looked at her. It also helped that the way Yukino fell for him was how Natsu defended her against an old Professor at the university she went to when he tried to expel her for a terrible reason, and they barely even knew each other at the time. Sorano couldn't help but feel admiration for Natsu after hearing that story.

After spending hours talking to Yukino, Sorano excused herself to get some fresh air. Being in the club for so long was starting to feel a little stuffy. Sorano sighed as she felt the cold air hit her as soon as she stepped out. Deciding to stretch her legs, Sorano walked around for a bit.

After walking around for about 5 minutes, she was slammed against a wall. Her eyes widened as her assailant forcefully covered her mouth with his. Sorano tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he was strong and pinned her in place with his legs. She could taste the alcohol on his lips and smell the lingering scent of weed on his clothes. After what seemed like centuries, her attacker was ripped away from her. She was surprised to see Jellal was on top of the man who just assaulted her, throwing punch after punch.

Sorano was frozen, she didn't know what to do. She just watched as Jellal thoroughly beat up the intoxicated man. In the corner of her eye, she saw Lucy running up to them. "Jellal, that's enough. Let the police handle this!" Lucy exclaimed as she pulled Jellal off the Sorano's attacker.

Jellal was very mad. He needed someone to blame, and he had just found that person. "This is all your fault, Lucy!" Jellal yelled angrily, "If you hadn't insisted we all come, this wouldn't have happened!"

Lucy was upset. She knew that Jellal just wanted to get a rise out of her, but it was working. "I didn't want this to happen," she exclaimed, "I didn't mean for this to happen. But Sorano's okay now."

"She's okay now?!" Jellal yelled incredulously, "She was almost raped Lucy. Of course she's not okay. Unlike you, some people don't just give in to whoever wants to take advantage of them and they don't just get over it like it happens everyday. Unlike you, some people aren't okay if they are taken advantage of!"

Jellal then turned to Sorano, who was still in shock after being attacked, and tried to comfort her and led her back inside. Jellal was unaware just how much his words affected the blonde girl.

Lucy was shocked at Jellal's words. They kept echoing in her mind. _Some people aren't okay if they're taken advantage of!_ Is that really what he thought of her? That she just let people have their way with her? Did he think that she was kind of whore? Did others think that way? Was everyone from her past right about what they said about her? Lucy turned away from the club and wandered aimlessly needing time to think.

Back in the club, the male members of Oracion Seis rushed towards Sorano as soon as they saw her in her disheveled and dazed state. Sawyer was the first to speak. "What happened?" he exclaimed.

Jellal spoke up for Sorano. "She was attacked while she was getting some fresh air. Some drunk bastard tried to molest her."

All of Sorano's pseudo brothers and Sawyer were livid. No one could ever touch her that way and get away with it. Sorano noticing her boys' fury tried to calm them down and said, "It's okay. Jellal took care of him. He's unconscious on the side of the street and Lucy called the police."

Macbeth turned toward Jellal and looked him straight in the eye and said, "Thank you. I don't know how we could repay you for saving her."

"You don't have to. I did what any decent human being would do. I would've done the same this had it been someone else." Jellal said as he shook his head, "I think that we've all had enough excitement for tonight. Let's head out."

* * *

None of them spoke the entire ride home. It was an uncomfortable ride, with all the boys still angry and Sorano trying to recover from the shock.

Once arriving home, everyone went to their respective rooms and stayed there, or so Jellal thought. Jellal headed to the living room to read and was surprised to see Sorano sitting there with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. He was even more surprised when Sorano beckoned him over to sit with her.

Jellal hesitantly went over and sat down next to Sorano. The duo sat in silence for few minutes before Sorano spoke up. "I want to trust you, you know? After tonight, I really do want to trust you."

Jellal was elated that Sorano wanted to try and work things out, but he sensed there was something more Sorano had to say, so he looked over at her and said, "I sense there's a 'but' coming somewhere."

Sorano nodded. "But I need to know what happened. I need to know the truth of the orphanage. I need to know the truth of our past. By now, I know that you're keeping something from us. Meredy's hinted at it, Lucy's hinted at it, others like Erza, Sho, Milliana, and Wally who were there seem to have forgiven you. Erza even pulled me aside to tell me to give you a chance."

Jellal looked up at Sorano surprised and asked,"What? You talked to Erza? When? What did she say to you?"

Sorano looked him in the eyes as he said, "She told me to give you a chance. That you aren't actually like how we think you are. So tell me Jellal, who are you really?"

Jellal sighed, "It doesn't matter Angel. The past doesn't matter anymore."

Sorano shook her head. "Yes it does, Jellal. I want to trust you. The man who saved me today isn't the boy I knew from the orphanage. People can change, but not that drastically Jellal. Just tell me the truth."

Jellal sighed as he gave in, "Alright, alright. I'll tell you, but don't tell the others, okay? I don't need the past to be an excuse to be trusted."

Unbeknownst to the two, the rest of Oracion Seis was listening into their conversation from the other side of the wall. The boys were all curious as to what Jellal would say. They all noticed that Jellal was not as he was before, but they refused to acknowledge it until he had saved Sorano. They all wanted to know the truth.

Jellal took a deep breath before he started to tell Sorano his story. "One day at the orphanage, the owner called me up to his office. I remember how scared I was. My knees were shaking and I bit my lip till it bled. Once I was there, I saw a boy, Ernie I think, tied up against the wall pleading with the owner. The owner was just sitting there looking amused as he drank with his two friends; one of them was Brain." Sorano fisted the material of her shirt when she heard the name of her torturer, and Jellal paused, looking at her warily. Sorano just shook her head and urged him to continue.

Jellal hesitantly continued, "He soon noticed me and beckoned me over. When I went over to him, he put a whip in my hand. He told me to whip him, Ernie. Ernie had tried to steal bread and the owner said he needed to be punished I refused profusely. He kept urging me and I kept refusing. After I refused for maybe the fifth time, he procured a handgun from his back pocket and shot Ernie five times. Twice in the head and three times in the chest. There was no way he could have survived. I was horrified. I felt like throwing up. The owner then grabbed my face and started yelling at me. 'See what you made me do. You killed him. You killed the boy,' he yelled. hen he started beating me. He used the whip he wanted me to use on Ernie on me. Brain and his other friend joined in, but soon they all got tired of me and sent me to my room."

Jellal paused for a second before he continued, "The next day, he called me up again. This time tied against the wall it was Cobra and Brain and the other guy weren't there. Cobra apparently didn't wash his clothes properly, so the owner wanted him to be punished. The owner once again handed me the whip. I was about to refuse and he saw that, so he reached for his gun on the table. In that moment, I knew it was either I beat Cobra or the owner kills him. I couldn't let another person die because of me, so I took the whip and did everything he told me to," Jellal gulped, "I whipped Cobra, cut him with a knife, punched him, and kicked him, all while he was begging and pleading me to stop. He kept saying that I was his friend, so why was I doing this. The owner got off on it, the fucking sadist. After I was done and Cobra went sent back down, he was fucking horny. He…he…he made me…That was the first time he made me…do stuff with him. The owner made me punish everyone while he watched from then on, sometimes I would get it wrong and he would be _me_ , but he would usually…he would usually rape me afterwards."

Jellal took a shaky breath, his shoulders shaking and his lips quivering, as he continued "I tried to fight off once, while he…you know. Told me I was too much trouble, and said he would move onto the little boy with the black and white hair, Midnight. I never wanted him to break anyone else, so I had to beg him to…to…to fuck me, and I never fought again."

By the time Jellal finished, tears were streaming down his face as he looked down at his lap. Jellal finally looked up to look at Sorano. Sorano was crying, tears falling into her lap with her hands covering her face. She kept repeating the same thing, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Jellal shifted closer to her as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and softly said, "You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't hurt me."

Sorano shook his arm off as she turned to look at him and exclaimed, "Yes we do. We hated you for no reason!"

Jellal shook his head. "You don't need to be sorry for that. You only hated me for what I appeared to be."

Erik, Macbeth, Richard, and Sawyer took this as a cue to come out of the shadows. Macbeth spoke up, "No, Sorano is right. We should be ashamed of ourselves." Sorano and Jellal were both surprised to see everyone, and stood up once the duo saw everyone. How could they be so quiet? Macbeth continued, "We wrongfully judged you. We thought you were a terrible person, a sadist and torturer. You were the one who was tortured. You had it worse then all of us in the orphanage. You didn't even do anything wrong and the owner would…And we hated you even though you did everything to save us. We continued to hate you even though you were trying to atone for something you shouldn't have to repent for."

One by one, all of Oracion Seis got on their knees in front of Jellal. Jellal was flabbergasted. He had no idea what what going on. He was about to question them when Erik spoke up, "Thank you for saving me from being shot and killed, for saving all of us from being killed."

Midnight then said as tears streamed down his face thinking of the things that he could have suffered if Jellal hadn't gotten back down on his knees, "Thank you for saving me from the sexual abuse that you suffered, for saving every little boy or girl that could've gone through what you had gone through had you not begged him to let it only be you."

The Seis continued to murmur their thanks and apologies as Jellal got exasperated. He didn't want to be thanked for all these things. He just wanted to forget the past and leave it behind. "Get up you guys. Stop this nonsense."

Slowly, all five of them got up from their knees and Erik looked Jellal straight in the eyes and said, "We are all sorry for everything that we ever did to you."

Jellal shifted uncomfortably as he said, "Look guys, let bygone be bygones. Let's start over. Hi, I'm Jellal Fernandes of Ermercy Tech."

Sorano giggled as she introduced herself. "I'm Sorano Aureola and I'm a floor model at Abercrombie and Fitch."

Macbeth went next. "I'm Macbeth Somno and I want to study forensics and become a forensic scientist."

Richard continued the chain. "I'm Richard Glaz and the thing I love most in this world is my brother."

Sawyer continued, "I'm Sawyer Kasi and I like fast things."

Erik ended the chain, "I'm Erik Vibora and I'm glad that we finally see you Jellal."

Jellal chuckled and said, "As glad as I am that you guys are giving me a chance, this will have to wait till morning. It's late, Meredy's asleep and she has school tomorrow."

They all nodded their heads and started to head towards their rooms when Jellal's phone rang. Who would call this late at night? The ex-gang members all looked at him questioningly.

Jellal caught their eyes and shrugged. "Hello?" Jellal questioned as he answered the call.

"Jellal it's Juvia," Juvia answered from the other end.

"Juvia?" Jellal asked, "Do you realize it's 3 o'clock in the morning?"

"Exactly, it's 3 o'clock in the morning," said Juvia, sounding slightly worried, "Is Lucy there with you?"

"No," Jellal answered, "Lucy isn't with us. Isn't she at home?" Erik looked up when he heard Lucy's name from Jellal. _What happened to Lucy?_ he thought.

"No," Juvia cried out, "No one's seen her since the party. Liam's bawling his eyes out because we can't find her anywhere. I'm so worried Jellal; this isn't like Lucy. Can you help look for her?"

"Of…of course," Jellal stuttered as he couldn't help but recall how he took out his anger on her even though she did nothing wrong. _This is all my fault_ , Jellal thought.


End file.
